Nancy Guthrie Sheriff Chris Nanos hit with $1M lawsuit from Arizona inmate
An Arizona inmate is suing Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and his department for more than $1 million, claiming jail officials put his life at risk by failing to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, according to court documents.
Christopher Michael Marx, an inmate at Pima County Jail, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on March 5. The legal action comes as Sheriff Nanos and his office have also faced criticism over the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
In the lawsuit, Marx alleges that his safety was endangered when a sheriff’s deputy worked between two jail units — one of which housed an inmate who was quarantined with COVID-19 — and his own unit. According to the filing, the deputy moved between the areas while inmates in Marx’s unit were placed on lockdown.
“This deputy was going back and forth working both units … our unit was on lockdown because this deputy was working both units,” Marx wrote in the complaint.
Marx further claims that while performing duties such as serving dinner, the deputy did not properly sanitize himself after working in the quarantined area. The filing argues that neither Sheriff Nanos nor his deputies took adequate steps to prevent the virus from spreading, creating what Marx described as a serious threat to his health.
“This put my life in jeopardy with their action, constantly,” Marx wrote. “I could have died.”
Meanwhile, critics have also questioned Sheriff Nanos’ handling of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie. She was reported missing on Feb. 1.
“It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos,” Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, previously told The Post.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Marx, who was convicted of shoplifting in late 2024, also alleges in the lawsuit that the sheriff’s office violated Article Two of the Arizona State Constitution — the state’s Declaration of Rights — by subjecting him to unsafe conditions and what he described as cruel and unusual punishment.
He is seeking an apology from Sheriff Nanos along with $1.35 million in damages. Marx says he plans to donate the money to support two apartment buildings that provide housing for formerly homeless individuals.
In addition to monetary damages, the lawsuit asks the court to require the sheriff’s office to implement proper sanitation procedures when deputies move between quarantined and non-quarantined jail units.
About Post Author
